GoodSoundClub - Romy the Cat's Audio Site

10-04-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	1
Post ID:	27610
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Crane Radio CCE2

I got this heavy portable multi-band radio when I had a lot of down time and no energy, just wanted FM that was easy to turn on and off, mostly to listen to in my bedroom, including at night while I lay in bed. In particular, we have a local no-ads jazz station that was pretty good to begin with and it keeps getting better, also our local NPR station broadcasts recordings of our local symphony orchestra for 2 hours every Sunday night. The radio only has one built-in speaker, 5", but it receives stereo FM and it outputs good stereo via its headphone jack. I started out with Panasonic Ergo Fit IEMs, then I "moved up" to Sennheiser HD650 headphones. These headphones notoriously trail off at LF, howver the radio has "tone controls" for HF and LF that actually "work" pretty well with the HD650s. Setting aside "headphone issues" we all know about, I am able to get involved with the Music with this very simple set-up, and that's all I ask, so I am very happy with it. I can't and won't speak technically to the radio's reception capabilities, but I can and will say I am able to get both FM stations I want despite I am nested in a big patch of hills and valleys, and I have so far only used the built in telescoping antenna. I was able to mitigate minor "rushing" by putting di-electric grease on the headphone connectors. Anyone who has fiddled with FM knows that reception is a big (and variable!) issue, and that electrical cord orientation or anything else might affect it. Well, it has not been much of an issue for me for months now, since I found a good spot and orientation for the radio.

Paul S

10-05-2024

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Romy the Cat

Boston, MA
Posts 10,184
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #:	2
Post ID:	27612
Reply to:	27610

No more FM for me, unfortunately...

As many readers of my site know that I am a huge supporter of FM.... while I had a reasonably good FM broadcasting my city. It was drastically changed somewhere at 2011 - 2012. My main classical station was given new frequency and went under NPR umbrella. The guy who used to run spectacular broadcast from Harvard got sick, pass away and it was pretty much it. Nowadays we have 99.5 we supposed to be a classical station but they broadcast mostly idiotic music in the major key only, is a broadcasting the kind of barbaric way, conceptually and technically. They still have broadcast from BSO but the quality is dramatically far away from it used to be, not to mention the time not huge fun of what BSO doing nowadays.

As a result, years ago I sold my German tuner, and my supercalibrated TU1 is sitting not being plugged in the system. I probably need to let it go as well. If I want to hear broadcast I mostly stream from the web siyes that I like.

"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

10-05-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	3
Post ID:	27613
Reply to:	27612

Distant Memories

When I started "serious" FM (about 55 years ago...) I was in the heart of Los Angeles, and the big problem was selectivity, also our "best" classical station was 90% crap, and our best jazz station was 65% crap. Then I moved to Corvallis, Oregon, and there was NOTHING worth the effort that I could find. Ten years later, i returned to SoCal/San Diego, and over the years, wherever I lived, reception was pretty much impossible, not to mention crappy programming and broadcasts. As I said in the initial post, I presently live in a hilly area. Pretty much any antenna is a crap shoot here, including giant masts. So it's funny that on the first day I got the CC2E radio I listened to a great classical station from over 100 miles north of here for 2 days before it cut out, and I have never been able to get it cleanly again since then. Meanwhile, I finally got lucky (at last!) to have decent stations I can actually get. Regarding "poor reception", many years ago, a couple of my hi-fi and FM gurus had giant masts and motorized antennas. I tried a rank version of this in Oregon, but it never panned out, and I never went farther than an amplified Terk (or similar) in San Diego, mostly because it did not seem to be worth the effort for the crummy programming and lousy broadcast standards. Regarding what's available where one lives, if nothing has changed over time then DXers are typically very generous with their findings, and if you see a mast sticking up then there might well be a guy listening below it who will share information. Obviously, the horizon is a problem, for sure, but I have been amazed how resourceful "Radio People" can be.

Best regards,Paul S

10-06-2024

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rowuk

Germany
Posts 454
Joined on 07-05-2012

Post #:	4
Post ID:	27614
Reply to:	27613

Germany still has FM worth talking about

Even although digital audio (DAB and DAB-2) has been available in automobiles for over 10 years, the German broadcasters still support FM in a very decent quality. The programming is also decent. I have never been able to figure out why FM sounds so good - maybe because they do not try to reproduce anything above 16K?

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

10-06-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	5
Post ID:	27615
Reply to:	27614

Drink Deeply

Well, Robin, you are in the Music Business, and I suppose you are privy to what's available in terms of FM programming at any given time. It seems like US Public Radio has had its ups and downs over the years, in terms of both programming and broadcast quality, with local stations having a lot of autonomy, and there is a resultant nationwide patchwork in terms of "listening experiences". I can tell you, for most of my life, wherever I have lived, I have "turned the knob" and listened for stations, and I have taken note of and tried to develop anything I deemed to be worthwhile. I hope you are in a position to drink deeply of the quality Music that's available to you at this time, and know that I envy anyone who can sit or lie down and just relax with good FM. The only rule here in the 'States is there are no rules as far as programming and broadcast quality, as both are subject to change on short or no notice at any time. I have enjoyed for years what I thought were stalwart FM stations only to have them suddenly go to pot or go dark. This CC2E radio is just a very hedonistic and partly cynical approach to quickly take advantage of what's available while it's available with minimal time, effort or expense.

Best regards.
Paul S

10-07-2024

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Romy the Cat

Boston, MA
Posts 10,184
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #:	6
Post ID:	27616
Reply to:	27614

Another mystery of German broadcasts

I listed German broadcasts very frequently over digital. Indeed, the subject of FM quality was always a mystery to me and I wrote about it a lot. There is another very interesting aspect of German broadcasts. As a Russian Jew, I was raised and exposed to the German language mostly via the WW2 movies where Germans with their language were not sympathetic characters. Having my most beloved musicians, writers and philosophers from Germany and hating the sound of the German language is a kind of bazaar, right? However, when I listen to the German classical station's broadcasts, with their beautiful educated and well-articulated German I absolutely love this. In fact, I caught myself many times that I enjoy listening to the stories the hosts tell as much as I enjoy the music. I understand what they say very little but I love the sound of it. Go figure…

"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

10-07-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	7
Post ID:	27617
Reply to:	27616

Genau

My first German teacher was from Hamburg, and the second was from Hannover. To call them "language snobs" would be an understatement. You can bet that Bruckner would keep his voice down in their presence. Still, I know what you mean, Romy, even though the evil Nazi officers in the movies often speak very perfect German, to chilling effect, IMO.

It seems odd, looking back, that I first heard a German broadcast via a crystal radio that I built at about age 8. I could only get the broadcast at night, and I loved falling asleep to Wagner, etc.

Sure, US broadcast standards are variable (mostly bad) to the point where it angers me, but the matter of programming is actually at least as important to me, as I just can't relax for long hearing things I don't want to listen to. So, it became a particular frustration to set and trim and re-set the tuning and fiddle with adjustments while listening to stuff I don't like. Now it really is a matter of turning the radio on or off, and that's it. I push a button to turn on the radio and another button for a pre-set station. If I hear something I like I relax for a symphony or listen to a set, and I push the on/off button again to end the session. Not a Marantz 7 or TU-X experience, but it cuts the crap part to a minimum. Does this mean I'm finally softened up for streaming?

Best regards,
Paul S

10-07-2024

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rowuk

Germany
Posts 454
Joined on 07-05-2012

Post #:	8
Post ID:	27618
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I agree with the good commentary

Germans still define music as "E"-Musik or "U"-Musik. E is for "Ernst" or serious/ernest and U is for "Unterhaltung" or entertainment. Funny enough Jazz falls und "E".

For anyone that likes the german language, there is a Bach cantata every week on MDR Klassik after the 9:00 AM middle european time news. Here is the 256K stream:

http://avw.mdr.de/streams/284350-0_aac_high.m3u
The two moderators explain what was going on in Bachs head according to his periods of composition, the church year and any special things like a soloist that was not in his regular troop of Stadtpfeifers. They make history fun! The recordings are from performances all over the world, some special, some ordinary, but after the commentary very educational.

Whenever I feel blue, I start breathing again.

10-07-2024

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Romy the Cat

Boston, MA
Posts 10,184
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #:	9
Post ID:	27619
Reply to:	27618

I understood German only once in my life

I had a beautiful story back in the 1999 when I travel across Germany extensively. I was in Frankfurt , I believe it was Frankfurt and they have a museum of science or something like this, and in that museum service a huge hall this probably a hundred of different pianos, from different historical periods. Most of them were tuned and playable. I was walking around, banged a few keys and it was pretty much it. Then the magic happened. A group of German kids from a regular German School, probably 20-25 kids come to the hall. The group was led by a museum curator. It was extremely unpleasant looking woman, with rugged clothes, with large amount of facial hair, I think she was gypsy and spoke with heavy non-german accent. She was with a beautiful articulation and beautiful engagement tell to the kids stories about each pianos and explain to them how technical progress of this given instrument give to that specific composers opportunity compose music in a different way. She was super engaging and she was sitting to the each piano and played different pieces of music which was composed on a piano of given period. I know something about pianist and I can tell you that she played beyond spectacular. It was not a recital but she just very organically demonstrate her ideas that she explained to student and the play was beyond belief. The funniest part is that with each instrument she suggested somebody to try and thise freaking German kids seat for the piano and we're able to play. It was not a music school and they did not play well but almost all of them were able to play from memory. What shark is the most that listening her playing, observing her articulations, and remembering some phrases from Yadish, I suddenly recognize that I completely understood her. It was absolutely stunning experience...

"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

10-08-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	10
Post ID:	27621
Reply to:	27619

Radio as Time Machine

What a great story, Romy! Although I am from Norwegian immigrants, my paternal grandfather also spoke German and he had quite a nice collection of 78s, including German Lieder and aurias, featuring the astounding Rundfunk (radio) orchestras, pick-up groups and singers recruited from Germany's vast pool of classically trained classical musicians. He had a wind-up "Victrola" that I was trained to use, and I loved to listen alone in the dark. All this fostered my love of classical Music, and it is something I am always looking to re-create with hi-fi, including the radio that I described to start this thread.

Paul S

10-10-2024

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steverino
Posts 367
Joined on 05-23-2009

Post #:	11
Post ID:	27622
Reply to:	27618

Jazz has become serious business

rowuk wrote:
Germans still define music as "E"-Musik or "U"-Musik. E is for "Ernst" or serious/ernest and U is for "Unterhaltung" or entertainment. Funny enough Jazz falls und "E".

Although Jazz didn't start out serious there is no question that it evolved that way. So I am not surprised that Germans and maybe other Europeans would categorize it that way. Of course that led to its loss of audience in the US, where it has a bit lower support than classical music amongst the population. Miles Davis was one of the few that reached a larger audience along with Dave Brubeck. Both genres are in serious difficulty here in the US subsequent to the pandemic and probably require some level of subsidization to survive, not that such funding is likely.

10-10-2024

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steverino
Posts 367
Joined on 05-23-2009

Post #:	12
Post ID:	27623
Reply to:	27612

FM tuner

Romy the Cat wrote:

As many readers of my site know that I am a huge supporter of FM.... while I had a reasonably good FM broadcasting my city. It was drastically changed somewhere at 2011 - 2012. My main classical station was given new frequency and went under NPR umbrella. The guy who used to run spectacular broadcast from Harvard got sick, pass away and it was pretty much it. Nowadays we have 99.5 we supposed to be a classical station but they broadcast mostly idiotic music in the major key only, is a broadcasting the kind of barbaric way, conceptually and technically. They still have broadcast from BSO but the quality is dramatically far away from it used to be, not to mention the time not huge fun of what BSO doing nowadays.

As a result, years ago I sold my German tuner, and my supercalibrated TU1 is sitting not being plugged in the system. I probably need to let it go as well. If I want to hear broadcast I mostly stream from the web sites that I like.

I'm still soldiering on with my beloved MR-67 but I fear in the next few years that it will sit silent except for the music of the spheres. At this point I'm not sure who would want it? My understanding is even Japan doesn't have much of a radio audience.

10-10-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	13
Post ID:	27624
Reply to:	27623

Sound vs. Program vs. Hassle

Steve, if you have the MR-67 I suppose it means you wanted that "FM Sound Quality" with your FM? Is it programming, broadcast quality, reception, or some combination that's the problem, or are you simply happy with streaming these days?

Paul S

10-22-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	14
Post ID:	27655
Reply to:	27624

"Enough"

A while ago I started the "It Thread" here at GSC to question how we find ourselves engaged in Music via playback. At one point I asked what is the minimum we require to engage with playback, and then I turned the questioon around to ask if there is such a thing as "too much" from playback, so we do not engage. Meanwhile, noviygera posted about a good small SS amp, saying, "...there's a time and place in life for everything", and rowuk posted on the idea of "enough". Well, I think that's what I have with the Crane CC2E radio and Sennheiser 650 headphones... "enough", the way I use it. At this time in my life I would not be happy with this as my only audio, but it is OK and very comfortable as I now use it, and I do not want "more" from this use at this time.

Paul S

10-23-2024

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Romy the Cat

Boston, MA
Posts 10,184
Joined on 05-28-2004

Post #:	15
Post ID:	27656
Reply to:	27655

Paul, those notes are from different score...

Paul, I think you are losing a point of reference. Of course the concept enough is wonderful and absolutely no one would argue with it. If I name what I think is enough people going to be truly shocked because it will cost no more than 100 bucks. Enough is completely reasonable response for lifestyle and how it relates to audio and I will not argue there. However, coming to a website which dedicated to advanced audio techniques we dropped from ourselves the pretend is that something is enough. Remember I'm always over the years keep reaching that advance audio reproduction techniques have nothing to do with music and has to do this very specific appled knowledge of music machine human interactions. They can always equalize everything by stating that it is enough, and there isabsolutely nothing wrong with this, but admitting enough in a way is arrested our curiosity for depth and quality of audio exploration.

"I wish I could score everything for horns." - Richard Wagner. "Our writing equipment takes part in the forming of our thoughts." - Friedrich Nietzsche

10-23-2024

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Paul S
San Diego, California, USA
Posts 2,672
Joined on 10-12-2006

Post #:	16
Post ID:	27657
Reply to:	27656

"Enough" Is In Quotes...

Obviously, I am an OCD Audio Nut Job, and my idea of "enough" in that post applies to a situational solution. Basically, that set-up works given my state of mind when I use it. Like I said in the post, I would not be happy at this time if that was my only audio. Like you said, "recent improvements" to my Big Rig were targeted to facilitate my understanding and appreciation of Bruckner, and I am very happy listening to Bruckner with my Big Rig these days. I would not be surprised if there came a time when I could appreciate Bruckner with the radio, but I am not there yet, also I simply enjoy a good deal "more" that I get from the Big Rig. I am Old, for sure, but audio curiosity is still active.

Paul S

10-24-2024

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steverino
Posts 367
Joined on 05-23-2009

Post #:	18
Post ID:	27659
Reply to:	27624

FM listening

Paul S wrote:
Steve, if you have the MR-67 I suppose it means you wanted that "FM Sound Quality" with your FM? Is it programming, broadcast quality, reception, or some combination that's the problem, or are you simply happy with streaming these days?

Paul S

Reception is good and the MR67 was retubed by myself and calibrated 5 years ago. I am not happy with streaming. The sound quality is not great and as a practical matter I can only stream over my headphone system linked to the computer. It is a fairly good system with outboard DAC and separate all tube headphone amplifier. I am forced to stream the NPR Vocal and Opera channel as it is not broadcast. Otherwise I only stream to audition something for possible purchase on media, either CD or LP.

It's simply that most current FM music radio is programmed lists based on algorithms. My interest in 21st C pop music is very limited. I did make some effort over the past decade to listen to various synth pop stars and other current non Top 100 music and did find a small number of well made albums but that music is not much played on these stations. I prefer to listen to complete albums anyway. The programmed radio doesn't play much older music even from 2010 or 2015. The last 7 0r 8 years has been particularly dismal with pop/rock. So I am limited to the regular NPR classical and one or two university based stations. Norway went off air as a country a few years ago and even in the US it may devolve even more here for me if universities cut back or NPR moves to all streaming. The overall outlook is poor.